Volunteer Cores

Event Leads: Dorothy Bassett, Jess Polka, Peter Salomone
Email: lead@fireflyartscollective.org

Event Leads are typically extroverted project managers who maintain a timeline for the successful implementation of the event. Major responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing all core activities.
• Facilitating communication between the Core leads and board members.
• Adhering to the timeline and budgets.

The Event Lead needs to be highly organized, have great communication skills and have had experience organizing major events and coordinating complex logistical pieces that run smoothly together.

Learn more and sign up to help on the Event Lead page.

Leader: Peter Salomone

Learn more on our official Board of Directors page.

Leaders: Meytal Kotik

Core Leaders: Presley Pizzo
Email: volunteer@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Leaders: Carl Gruesz, Charlie, Vlad DJ Hydrophonic
Email: placement@fireflyartscollective.org

• Register theme camps prior to placement, including the main members’ names and contact info, a description of the camp, and if they will have sound, fire, fire art, propane, and/or electricity.
• Coordinate the Art and Theme Camp Placement at Work Weekend 2.
• Help find places for people to put art and theme camps, resolve conflicts between projects.
• Work with Map Core to prepare the event map.

Learn more about Art and Theme Camp Placement.

Core Leaders: Ben Gray, Kat Dobbins, Donna Hagan, Sara Sinback
Email: grants@fireflyartscollective.org

• Announce Art Grants submissions prior to the event.
• Manage collection of Art Grant submissions and obtain signed contracts from recipients.
• Check in with Art Grant recipients during the event to make sure they have their installations up in time.
• Help to coordinate one or two art walks during the event (possibly including a make-shift map).
• Arrange and make sure Art Grants are photographed and documented.
• Submit photos to Firefly Art Grant Photo Gallery.

Core Leaders: Joed Polly, Dan Snyder
Email: bug@fireflyartscollective.org

The biggest event at Firefly is the Bug Burn. Help build a huge art installation and then burn it to the ground!

Work Weekends:

Volunteers are needed during the Work Weekends to help gather the many sticks it takes to build the bug, help the Bug Core Co-Leads build the main structure that supports the bug, and moving and pile firewood.

During Firefly:

Help stuff the bug full of firewood to help it burn.

After Firefly:

Help with cleaning up the burn site.

Core Leaders: Ivy, Heatflow
Email: stage@fireflyartscollective.org

This group manages the Open Stage, coordinating and assisting performers.

• Send out performance request emails.
• Create and publish stage line-up.
• Supervise, schedule, and support performers during the event.

Core Leaders: Helen McCarthy, Donna Hagan
Email: signage@fireflyartscollective.org

Signage or “Signcore” is responsible for displaying & maintaining the visual signage inventory at Firefly.

From street signs to important safety signs, laminates, information, directions, shrines, and puns, Signcore—in partnership with Placement, DPW, and Map—visually communicates the necessary info for all fireflies during the event.

Signcore Volunteers should be available to help with either Placement or Take-down and come to one (or hopefully) both “work parties” to help with: cutting, drilling, painting, lettering, coating, itemizing, etc.

It is not required to have a PhD in “Exotic Typographic Letter-forms from Sans-Serif University” though some basic understanding of applying/mixing paint, clear coat, and writing larger letters legibly is certainly a benefit! We have an ongoing inventory from previous years that has been branded over time to be somewhat consistent, either with color-coding or letter legibility and size. New signs are brainstormed as a team, and follow some branding and legibility rules.

Signage tasks include:

• Inventory existing signs before event and check with board and core leaders if other signs are needed. Help with printing if necessary.
• Print posters for the kiosks and easel located at the event.
• Assist board and core leaders with hanging signs at event.
• Take down signs at the end of the event and store properly.
• Check in at daily board meeting to see what info should be updated on the info/event kiosks.
• Check in with Rangers to see if there are any updates that need to be posted on the info/event kiosks.

Core Co-Leaders: Dani Mac, Cricket
Email: maps@fireflyartscollective.org

Get placement info and create a print and online map of the event, prior to people getting to the woods! Previous years’ maps have been fun and well designed; carry on the fun map tradition!

Core Leader: Jessica Marcus
Email: gate@fireflyartscollective.org

The Gate crew welcomes new Fireflies!

Gate Volunteers are the first people new Fireflies meet upon arrival. We’re here to help usher new folks in, and to be the face of Firefly to visitors or neighbors. Our main responsibility is to keep the flow of incoming Fireflies smooth and efficient. We welcome first-time Fireflies as volunteers! Gate crew will be in touch over the radio with Rangers and the Board; you’re never alone!

As a Gate volunteer, you will:

• Coordinate with security staff to match state issued IDs to the master ticket list
• Ensure that all arrivals have filled out their waiver forms
• Confirm that each vehicle has a parking pass
• Give out wristbands and parking passes
• Transfer processed vehicles to Greeters
• Get a sweet sticker at the end of your shift

Exit Gates (Exodus) volunteers help with:

• Directing traffic and load-out
• Pack up the Gate/Greeter Station
• Sending people home with leftover trash and recycling (MOOP).

Note: Gate and Greeters merge to become Exodus at the end of Firefly.

The gate closes at 3PM Saturday. Anyone that arrives after 3PM Saturday will not be admitted (and will be ineligible to get a refund for their ticket purchase). The Gate will still be staffed during this time to continue to be the face of Firefly to local visitors and neighbors.

Core Leaders: Dan Snyder, Jesse Campbell
Email: tickets@fireflyartscollective.org

Help design our ticketing system and keep it running smoothly!

Core Leader: Jessicalee Skary, Hope Marion
Email: greeters@fireflyartscollective.org

Greeters have the great honor of welcoming people to Firefly and helping to orient them in space and mind! Our role is to help people make the transition from the “real world” into the world of Firefly.

As a Greeter you will:

• Welcome participants.
• Briefly educate participants about volunteering, LNT, de-commodification, consent and other social mores that keep our event safe and fun.
• During Exodus, help with directing traffic and load-out, help pack up Greeter Station and send people home with leftover trash/recycling (MOOP) and fond farewells.

Note: Gate and Greeters merge during Exodus.

Core Leader: Dan Snyder
Email: parking@fireflyartscollective.org

Parking and Exodus – Automotive Tetris and Rodeo! Parking Core needs your help making sure that the event runs smoothly, that gate wait times are reduced, and that everyone has a place to park!

No experience is needed and we work closely with the volunteers from Gate and Greeters, especially in the late night/early morning hours.

There are a few ways to get involved as a Parking volunteer.

• Directing Fireflies to their parking spot. During the event, volunteers on shift direct drivers as to where to park their car and helping Fireflies park as close as possible to each other.
• Exodus. During exodus on Monday parking volunteers communicate via radios and direct traffic in the parking areas and on all roads approved for vehicular traffic.
• Shuttle Driver for Off-site Parking. If we need to park cars in an off-site parking lot, you’ll drive a van to and from a parking lot five minutes away. You must have a valid driver’s license to volunteer for these shifts.

Core Leaders: Jim Ankrom
Email: gtfo@fireflyartscollective.org

GTFO is short for Get The Freaks On/Off (The Hill). Allied with DPW and LNT, this core helps people arrive and depart the festival site. GTFO will primarily manage traffic on the access road and up into the woods. GTFO also manages Early Arrival as well as Exodus, making sure participants are off the premises with their LNT completed by the official end of the event.

As a GTFO Team member you will help monitor and direct vehicles on the hill:

• Assist with setting traffic flow, taking direction from the GTFO Leads
• Maintain traffic oversight at one of four access points within the event site
• Communicate flow status and update other GTFO team members

Comms familiarity is helpful, but not necessary.

Rules for Early Vehicle Access (Early Access & Exodus)

Core Co-Leaders: Ollie Donaldson, Juice
Email: transport@fireflyartscollective.org

Parking has always been our main obstacle to adding more attendees at Firefly. This team coordinates and advocates for driving alternatives such as ride share and our bus service, so we can let more happy people experience Firefly! Transport Core will:

• Setup and supervise Firefly Bus system.
• Publicize ride sharing service.
• Assist with parking and shuttle arrangements.

Read about arrival options and sign up to help out on our Getting There page.

Core Leaders: Kit Siegle, Aaron EB, Aubrey
Email: arttruck@fireflyartscollective.org

The Art Truck hauls all that beautiful–and usually large–art into the woods and back.

• Before the burn, help pack art into a large truck, re-pack the art, and maybe even re-pack art again!
• Driving the art to the burn.
• Opening the truck up for artists to retrieve their art at the burn.
• On the last day of the burn, help artist load/pack any art that wasn’t set on fire back into the truck for a return trip.
• Right after the burn, provide the artist a place to pick up their art.

Core Leader: (See Gate)
Email: early@fireflyartscollective.org

• Announce early arrivals prior to the event.
• Handle early arrival sign-up.
• Coordinate early arrivals.
• Manage road access and parking before event, including verifying all vehicles are out of the woods by 11:30am before Firefly starts.

Core Leaders: Aster Treitman, Jessie
Email: ood@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Co-Leaders: Mieke Citroen (Roomba), Renee Furr (Dolphin)
Email: rangers@fireflyartscollective.org

Firefly Rangers are friendly, radio-equipped volunteers that work with participants and other volunteers to help Firefly run smoothly.

Learn more on the Firefly Ranger Page.

Core Leaders: Nick Coleangelo, Lia Rudolph
Email: firstaid@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Leader: Kevin Green, Taylor Shutt
Email: sound@fireflyartscollective.org

• Ensure that all sound camps are registered prior to event.
• Coordinate the location and layout of sound camps in coordination with Art and Theme Camp Placement Core.
• Conduct sound meter testing throughout the event.
• Communicate with sound camps about volume limits as needed during the event.

Core Leaders: Scott Docherty, Rich Rinker
Email: radios@fireflyartscollective.org

Small core of technologically-minded folk keeping our walkie-talkies and other communication systems going.

Core Leaders: Matt Adolph, Adam Giangregorio
Email: fire@fireflyartscollective.org

The mission of Fire Core is to provide experienced support for you both pre-event and on-site, to ensure fire safety, fire art safety and fire performance safety at Firefly.

The Fire Art Safety Team (FAST) team is a part of the Fire Core which is comprised of artists, fire safety volunteers, and people with professional experience, who will assist you in the safe execution of Open Fire, Flame Effects, and/or Pyrotechnics in your art installation or theme camp.

Fire Core volunteers oversee the safe use of fire pits, fire performance areas, and Fire Conclave on Bug Burn night.

Learn more on the Fire Core page.

Core Leaders: Andrew Reddig
Email: perimeter@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Lead: Gwen Wilbert
Email: dmv@fireflyartscollective.org

DMV communicates and enforces our mutant vehicle (or “Art Car(t)”) policy to keep participants safe and the land intact. Responsibilities include:

• Working with other cores to spread awareness of mutant vehicle policies.
• Fielding questions from participants about it.
• Enforcing the policy during the event.

In 2024, you should submit a Firefly 2024 Art Car Application by 6/25/24 to bring a mutant vehicle.

For more information, see our Art Car(t) Guidelines.

Core Leaders: Iva Gishin, Spencer (Alex DeFelice Kent), Aurora (Amanda Berberich), Bootstrap (Bill Hawkins)
Email: dpw@fireflyartscollective.org
DPW/Infrastructure is responsible for preparing the land ahead of the event, as well as building, assembling, maintaining, and removing the infrastructure that makes Firefly happen! In addition to the DPW-specific tasks, we also try to assist other cores with any “heavy lifting”, and take on new responsibilities as needed. The core is broken down into several crews that take action at different times before, during, and after the event.

Work Weekends (June):

• Inventory, repair & service tools & equipment
• Build and maintain trails (drainage, graveling)
• Build & repair bridges (carpentry)
• Clear fallen trees (chainsawing, log splitting, wood chipping)
• Mow, weed wack, and rake
• Build Firefly structures
• Prepare trail lighting
• Assist Bug and Temple crews

Early Arrival & During Event:

• Lay out power cables, set up generators and keep them gassed up
• Install trail lighting
• Supply water to Kitchen, Core HQs, and Steambath
• Transport art
• Assist with stuffing the Bug and Temple full of wood on burn days
• Handle emergencies that require trail maintenance, use of chainsaws or other tools, or use of Polaris (for purposes other than Medical or Accessibility)

Exodus & Late Crew:

• Transport art
• Disassemble & inventory Firefly infrastructure; pack & deliver to storage
• Service Generators and other tools & equipment and prepare them for being stored away

How to volunteer:

As long as you’re willing to get dirty and sweaty, we will have something for you to do:

• Join our mailing list. Announcements about meetings and volunteer schedules will be sent out as the event approaches. We won’t spam you.
• Sign up using the button above!
• Come to the Work Weekends!
• Find a DPW lead on-site and offer to help.

DPW leadership opportunities:

We seek people with DPW experience (from Firefly or other burns) and folks with broad skill sets (e.g. carpentry, lumberjacking, landscaping, off-road driving, driving trucks with trailers). You should be prepared to attend pre-event meetings, contribute to most of the Work Weekends, be on-site for Early Arrival, lead a volunteer team during the event, and stay through Exodus. If you’re interested, send an email to dpw@fireflyartscollective.org or reach out to one of the DPW leads in person.

Core Leader: Matthew Ashby, Mali Cooper
Email: workweekend@fireflyartscollective.org

• Send out Work Weekend information and direction emails, facilitate email contacts for carpooling and ride situations.
• Food and supply shopping for each Work Weekend. Provide coffee/tea/hot water, snacks and lunch for Work Weekend volunteers.
• Arrive early for each Work Weekend to set up signs directing volunteers to where they should park, sign in, and camp.
• Work closely with all Core Co-leads to create task lists, organize quick meetings during the Work Weekends for updates from Cores and to make sure volunteer resources are maximized.
• Make rounds through the site between meetings to answer questions and assist as needed.
• Ensure everything is cleaned up and put away at end of each Work Weekend.

Learn more and sign up to help on the Work Weekends page.

Core Leaders: Mike Umina
Email: dpw@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Leader: Ben Ryan
Email: latecrew@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Leaders: Galia Traub, Kate Van Rees, Jenn Z, Jesse Saler, Emily Bularzik
Email: LNT@fireflyartscollective.org

• Coordinate LNT volunteer signup.
• Deal with MOOP (Matter Out of Place).
• Set up and manage Lost and Found box at event.
• Encourage people to take recycling and trash away from site.
• At the end of Firefly, take site walks through the woods and camps to make sure everything looks natural and document any problem areas.
• Members of this Core are permitted to spend an extra day at the site after the event.
• Create the MOOP Map.

Learn more about LNT

Core Leaders: Rae Case, Meytal Kotik
Email: coffee@fireflyartscollective.org

The purpose of Coffee Kitchen is to provide coffee for the Rangers, volunteers, and participants. Coffee Kitchen also provides hot water, bags of tea and hot cocoa, milk, sugar, and honey. A three-bin dishwashing station is set up and often a propane stove is donated for communal use during the festival. Coffee Kitchen serves as a gathering place and communal cooking area if a stove is present.

Before Firefly:

• Set up tables, chairs, burner, dishwashing and coffee stations. Hold orientation at start of event.
• 2 volunteers for 2-3 hour shifts.

During Firefly:

• Boil water, make coffee, keep supplies stocked, maintain the dishwashing station, keeping kitchen area clean
• 2 volunteers per 2-3 hour shift.

After Firefly:

• Clean up and break everything down
• 2-4 volunteers

Core Lead: Joy, Zieve
Email: accessibility@fireflyartscollective.org

Help people with disabilities be included in Firefly by transporting their stuff up the hill.

Mostly active during load-in and load-out, daytimes only.

Learn more about accessibility at the event on our Accessibility page.

Core Leader: Mary Goodman
Email: sanctuary@fireflyartscollective.org
Sanctuary is a place for Firefly participants who need a quiet space to recharge. If you are feeling overwhelmed, having a hard time, or otherwise need a safe, quiet place with minimal interruptions, and a friendly soul to check in, please feel free to come to Sanctuary. Volunteer shifts are scheduled throughout the event but there may be times when nobody is present, but that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize the space! Sanctuary is not intended for overnight stays or lengthy recoveries. Participants experiencing a serious medical emergency should seek out our EMT service.

Core Co-Leaders: (TBD)
Email: gnomes@fireflyartscollective.org

Volunteer Gnomes are responsible for making sure volunteering is going smoothly throughout Firefly.

Gnome shifts begin and end at the Gnome Hut located next to the Kitchen at the top of the field. At the beginning of your shift, go to the Gnome Hut to meet the Gnome(s) from the previous shift and get the binder and radio.

As a Gnome, your primary duty is to run a systems check near the beginning of each shift. Equipped with your GnomePhone (ie radio) to solicit help if needed, you visit each of the volunteer base-stations about half an hour after each shift starts. (Gate, Greeters, Parking, Kitchen, and Rangers). You make sure everyone has shown up for their shift, find out whether the station needs anything, and generally make yourself available to ensure the station’s volunteers are happy. Depending on the need, you can either take care of it yourself, solicit help from others, or get an organizer or core leader.

The Gnome Hut holds the master Volunteer Schedule for the festival so you can remember when and where you are volunteering.

• Promote volunteering, educate people about volunteering.
• Connect volunteers to where they are needed based on past experience, skills, or knowledge.
• Send emails to Theme Camp leaders to encourage members of camps to volunteer.
• Solicit floater volunteers.
• Coordinate with Core Co-Leaders and report to daily meeting during the event.
• Work with Sign Core to post volunteer needs during the event.

Core Leaders: Jesse Saler, Peter Salomone
Email: communications@fireflyartscollective.org

Core Leaders: Aaron Kaufman, Frank Gerratana
Email: survey@fireflyartscollective.org
Survey Core designs and administers the Post-Event Survey. This is the census that lets us know who we are, what we think, and how the event went. Serious data geeks at the ready to gather your feedback! Cores use this info to get better next year.

Core Leader: Juice Chartove
Email: communications@fireflyartscollective.org
What/Where/When Core creates and manages the global “WhatWhereWhen” event guide to help Fireflies find out what’s going on in the woods.